Many stars were perverts - Clifford

Many of the stars who worked with Max Clifford were "perverts", the PR guru claimed today, but denied that he was himself.

Giving evidence at Southwark Crown Court, the 70-year-old said many of the stars he worked with would not have minded if he was a pervert, as long as he got "results".

Clifford is standing trial accused of 11 counts of indecent assault against seven girls and women - all of which he denies.

Today he was asked whether the string of allegations against him ended as he was becoming more famous himself and could not risk getting a reputation as a "pervert".

He told the court: "Many of the stars I worked with were perverts, they wouldn't have been bothered if I was a pervert......all they wanted was results".

He said he "wasn't a pervert", but added: "As long as I was able to create the right image and protect them, that's all that mattered to them."

The PR advisor, who has previously branded his accusers "fantasists and opportunists", today said although he was "greedy" and "liked women", he was not interested in "silly little girls".

He told the court: "I was never frustrated....I have been very lucky".

He said he had a "totally loving relationship" with his wife, as well as "loving relationships" with other long-standing mistresses.

"I was not sexually frustrated which was what you suggested," he told prosecutor Rosina Cottage QC. "I was very happy with my sex life and I didn't need to impress young girls to achieve any kind of sexual satisfaction or interest or stimulation.

"It has never been me, that's not the person I ever was. I happen to like women, yes sure, and I have had some wonderful relationships in my life. I like women, is that a crime?"

He said he was "greedy" for having a wife, as well as having affairs, adding: "But I was never frustrated and never interested in silly little girls."

Clifford admitted there had been "various parts of nudity over 30 or 40 years" in his office, describing a prank where he and comedians Freddie Starr and Lennie Bennett arranged for several girls to be sitting topless in his office when a producer for Morecambe and Wise visited.

"Freddie Starr thought it would very funny to see his reaction," he said. "There was a lot of practical jokes going on in my office over a lot of years. I was dealing with a lot of famous people, a lot of comedians, there would be sexual jokes, there would be sexual conversations. It's the nature of the world, particularly in the 60s and 70s."

Clifford was questioned about an anecdote in his book in which he recounted persuading a traffic warden to go into his office, where he took topless Polaroid photographs of her, describing it as an easy game that he played several times.

Ms Cottage put it to the 70-year-old that he regularly persuaded girls and women into his office with the promise of film parts, giving them "patter" to persuade them to do what he wanted, and the prosecutor said alleged references to his "tiny penis" were part of that.

But Clifford said he would never have described his own penis as tiny, telling the court: "As I have never thought it to be small I would never have said that."

Asked about claims he had exposed his penis to alleged victims, and walked naked in his office, he said: "I would assume if I got my penis out in the office, a busy office with people all around you, they would either have slapped my face or just walked out."

He added: "I can't remember ever going naked out in my office ever.

"There might have been one of two occasions where I had no clothes on but that would have been very very rare."

In sometimes tense exchanges with the prosecutor, Clifford denied telling one woman that he had had sex with Diana Ross.

"Screwed is not an expression I use," he said. "I have had sexual affairs, relationships with women, over the years. I have never said to anybody I have screwed one of them."

Asked about photographs he had of himself with famous people, he sparked laughter as he explained why he had one of Hercules the Bear, saying he was "nearly killed" by the famous grizzly.

"I was nearly killed that night by a bear, I was nearly crushed to death by a 54-stone grizzly. That is why his picture is up on my wall."

The PR advisor was asked about one alleged victim's claims that when she visited his office she was asked to take off her dress, but had a hole in her tights.

Clifford said holey tights would do "absolutely nothing" for him, telling the court: "I can't imagine anything less of a turn-on than someone in holey tights."

And when Ms Cottage put to him the woman's claims that he tried get her to masturbate him and ended up ejaculating on her, he said: "No, nor on her tights."

The court heard that Clifford's penis has been measured by Dr Ann Coxon, but he had refused to allow another expert to do the same, telling the court: "It's not something exactly you look forward to."

Clifford denies all charges. The case at Southwark Crown Court was adjourned until tomorrow morning.